This Makes Endurance Possible As A Parent

The hardest part about endurance training is making it fit into your life.

But once you get started and build momentum...

And you feel more capable taking on whatever you want in life.

This is the game of endurance.

So today, I'm going to give you an easy framework that will help you find time to train and simplify your entire training process.

Let's dive in!

Today's lesson is on quick transitions.

Quick transitions fix the #1 problem holding guys back:

Dead time throughout the day.

20 minutes here. 30 minutes there. Repeat 3-4x.

These lost windows of time are between things like:

And this dead time is usually filled with unproductive distraction.

My athlete Tony was a prime example of this.

Tony is a husband, father of 3, biz owner and recently bought his own farm.

On the outside, it looked like he was dominating life.

But internally, he felt like he was missing something...

He was 30+ lbs overweight, not consistent in fitness and struggling with low self-esteem.

Once I brought these transition windows to his attention, he had a huge realization:

He was drifting throughout the day, then making the excuse that he didn't have time to train.

I told Tony that 3 things are true:

Here's how we did it:

I had him think about his day like the swim to bike transition in a triathlon.

Some athletes take 2 minutes in transition. Some take 20.

The difference between the two is simple:

Being organized and moving with a sense of urgency.

The people who take 2 minutes are efficient with their time and free up space later in the day.

The people who take 20 minutes dilly dally and are still out on the course after most people have already finished.

We can think about days the same way:

Make quick transitions from one thing to the next, so you can do more stuff.

Here’s a real life example from me:

I was 8 weeks out from my last Ironman and had an important workout on my plan:

I wanted to crush the workout. But I didn't want to block off all day for training and sacrifice family time.

Plus, there was an Air Show at 9:30 am at the local Airport that I wanted to take my 1 year old son to (he loves planes).

So I...

And I felt like I was showing up in life exactly how I wanted to.

Now let's get back to Tony.

In the first 3 months of training, he was only completing 30% of his workouts.

He felt behind and like he had no momentum.

But he was also letting 20-30 minutes slip away multiple times per day.

As soon as we focused on quick transitions, he made a shift.

He rattled off 7 straight weeks of 100% completion doing 4 x 30 minute workouts per week

(Remember Lesson 1? Lower the bar, raise the execution).

And even more importantly...

And just last week, he capitalized on a block of open time and went on his first 30 mile outdoor ride (on a Wednesday morning).

Here's how to implement quick transitions in your own life:

Step 1: Make It Easy To Start

The foundation of quick transitions is being able to start workouts very quickly.

Make this your goal: be able to get out the door within 5 minutes at the drop of a hat for any given session

Here are 3 tips that Make It Easy To Start:

#1: Create permanent homes for all gear

Bike helmet, running shoes, sunglasses, HR chest strap, fuel mix, water bottles, etc.

Everything I use has a home, so I know exactly where to get it when I need it.

#2: Have multiple pairs of workout clothes

Speedos/jammers, running shorts, socks, bike shorts, tri kits, etc.

Don't let training fall through because your only workout clothes are wet, dirty and in the bottom of the hamper.

#3: Create a "charging station" and tech hub

This is the home base for your tech.

It should have cords for your Garmin and bike computer. And it can also serve as the home for your HR Chest strap.

This helped me avoid pain in the ass tech problems.

(Like being ready to head out the door, then realizing my Garmin or bike computer was low on battery).

Step 2: Quick Meals

If you want to stay on-the-go and fit a lot into your day, you need to energy to keep your body going.

But you also can't expect to go right from one thing to the next if you need 20+ minutes any time you want to make food.

When I'm short on time, I make “cold bowls” of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with frozen fruit, honey and cinnamon.

It takes less than 60 seconds to make and I can eat it as quickly as necessary (or take it on the go).

Here are some additional quick meal options that work for me:

Step 3: Be A Man Of Your Word

Quick transitions don't work if you're always late to the next thing and leaving your family hanging.

Sometimes the workout has to get cut short to still show up as a husband, dad, at work, etc.

That's ok.

The true value of endurance is proving to yourself that you're capable of doing more in life.

While also becoming the kind of person that does what they say they're going to do.

BONUS!

Step #4: Stay In Your Gear All Day Long

This one is a fun personal anecdote.

I realized that showering and changing right after training was holding me back.

Not only was it always turning into a 15+ minute process - it was also killing my momentum.

Instead of having the energy to go right into dad duty, I'd want to stretch out, eat a big meal and chill on the couch.

So I started just staying in my kit after rides and keeping my running gear on.

And I discovered another huge unlock on my time...

I realized that...

And I also saw that there's always a window of time a few hours later to shower and change.

Plus... staying in my gear helps me embody the identity of an athlete.

I like being the dad who is doing big things, racing around town with my family and making it all work.

So there you have it - my secret to making endurance possible in daily life:

Quick transitions

This email is Lesson 3 of a 5 part educational email course on Mastering Endurance Training.

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